A Life-Changing Program Empowering African Business Women

African women create businesses at a faster rate than anywhere else in the world, accounting for almost one-third of all businesses on the continent. These women are reviving economies, creating jobs, empowering other women and girls, and uplifting entire communities.

And they do this in the face of enormous inequity.

Not only do they lack control over assets, which influences access to capital, but they typically choose traditionally female business sectors that are less likely to scale, and they lack access to relevant training. 

As a result, their businesses’ revenue tends to be smaller than those founded by men, and they often struggle to secure technical support and investment. 

According to the UNDP, this gender inequality costs sub-Saharan Africa an average of $US95 billion each year.

Identifying the Opportunity Gaps for Female Founders

It was not enough for us to read the reports and accept the findings. We set out to dig into the problem ourselves to identify the gaps that needed filling. 

In the lead-up to founding AWEC, we piloted a new twist on the traditional online learning model that focused on collaborative and applied learning. 

The feedback from the hundreds of African entrepreneurs who took part in these courses was clear. To overcome the well-established barriers that female business owners faced, they sought the following: